Labour Commissioner Hesketh Williams has called on the aggrieved Chevron fuel attendants to take account of the damage they are doing to the country as they get set to meet with the company tomorrow in an attempt to resolve the industrial dispute.

“The workers there should understand that whatever action they take with respect to sickout or strike in my view is not really having any impact on Chevron because what is happening is the aircraft is flying to other territories to be refuelled by Chevron anyway,” Williams said.

“The impact that it is having is on the nation itself and Antigua & Barbuda and the tourism product, so note should be taken of that. The minister of labour is making every effort to have that matter resolved,” Williams added.

The fuel attendants returned to work Tuesday, after staging three consecutive days of industrial action to press home their demands to be sent home and offered severance pay before the US-based energy company completes its sale of its fuels marketing and aviation businesses in the English and French-speaking Caribbean to the French company Rubis.

“We are hopeful that a resolution can be found to this matter so that there will be no further disruptions in the industry,” Williams said.

In November last year, Chevron announced that it has agreed to sell its fuels marketing and aviation businesses in the English and French-speaking Caribbean to Vitogaz, SA, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Rubis, an international downstream petroleum company based in France.